Kayak reported stolen from backyard

LCCC holding registration for fall classes

<p>FORTY FORT &#8212; For years Nick DeBellis and his wife, Ellie, kept a lookout for flat stones, the kind old-time farmers used for fences. They&#8217;d spot them in fields or along roads and when they collected enough, Nick built a fountain, complete with a waterfall, for his backyard.</p><p>&#8220;I scratched it all together,&#8221; he said modestly, noting how two electric pumps keep the water in motion &#8212; providing a soothing, oasis kind of sound &#8212; while plastic lily pads and a little toy shark make the spot even more interesting.</p><p>Nick&#8217;s craftsmanship extends to wooden birdhouses, too, which he made because he enjoys the activity. &#8220;It&#8217;s not work,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s play.&#8221;</p><p>When he and his wife joined forces to create a girl-on-a-swing yard ornament, Ellie traced the figure of the girl onto plywood, Nick used a jigsaw to cut it out and Ellie painted it. Now it hangs from a tree branch, near several benches and chairs that visitors can use.</p><p>&#8220;You&#8217;ll notice we have lots of places to sit down,&#8221; Nick said, pointing out they&#8217;re good spots for listening to the waterfall as well as watching tiny wrens visit the birdhouses and squirrels eat the bread the couple puts out.</p><p>Actually, the DeBellises don&#8217;t just strew the bread on the ground. Nick enjoys watching the squirrels munch away, and since they&#8217;ve been known to run away with an entire hot dog bun, he impales the bread on a stake.</p><p>&#8220;Squirrels, birds, anybody can eat,&#8221; he said.</p><p>That welcoming attitude extends even to the &#8220;gopher or groundhog&#8221; Nick believes crushed plants in the tidy vegetable patch he filled with tomatoes, peppers and squash. &#8220;If you want to eat, eat,&#8221; he said. &#8220;But don&#8217;t wreck things.&#8221;</p><p>In cooler weather, Nick builds fires in a pot belly stove he keeps in the center of the yard.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s straight out of a railroad caboose,&#8221; he said. &#8220;My father was a railroader and when they started shutting things down, everything was up for grabs.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s heavy,&#8221; Ellie said. &#8220;You need three guys to carry the darned thing.&#8221;</p><p>When the couple relocated from Bethlehem 15 years ago, Ellie asked her husband if he was sure he wanted to bring the old stove. Absolutely, he did.</p><p>They had retired from their jobs at a country club and as a nursing coordinator, and decided to move to Forty Fort to be closer to their daughters.</p><p>The DeBellises have five children, 10 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, including some descendants who have helped Nick grind his pungent homegrown horseradish.</p><p>The eye-watering task is best done outdoors, Nick said, but it&#8217;s easier now that they use a food processor.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Nick and Ellie DeBellis enjoy the sounds of the waterfall in the fountain Nick DeBellis built in their backyard in Forty Fort. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_garden02.jpg</photo0><caption0>Nick and Ellie DeBellis enjoy the sounds of the waterfall in the fountain Nick DeBellis built in their backyard in Forty Fort. </caption0><photoCredit0>Pete G. Wilcox|Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_garden04.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Nick DeBellis keeps his garden well-manicured and doesn&#8217;t consider it work. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_garden04.jpg</photo1><caption1>Nick DeBellis keeps his garden well-manicured and doesn&#8217;t consider it work. </caption1><photoCredit1>Pete G. Wilcox|Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_garden05.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A waterfall, powered by an electric pump, cascades into the pond Nick DeBellis of Forty Fort built. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_garden05.jpg</photo2><caption2>A waterfall, powered by an electric pump, cascades into the pond Nick DeBellis of Forty Fort built. </caption2><photoCredit2>Pete G. Wilcox|Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_garden06.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Look up and you&#8217;ll see a spot where &#8216;air mail&#8217; can be delivered. The DeBellises have filled their garden with such eye-catching, decorative elements, including birdhouses and statues of a cow, duck and basket-carrying burro. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_garden06.jpg</photo3><caption3>Look up and you&#8217;ll see a spot where &#8216;air mail&#8217; can be delivered. The DeBellises have filled their garden with such eye-catching, decorative elements, including birdhouses and statues of a cow, duck and basket-carrying burro. </caption3><photoCredit3>Pete G. Wilcox|Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_garden03.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Lifelong gardener Nick DeBellis inspects his tomato plants. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_garden03.jpg</photo4><caption4>Lifelong gardener Nick DeBellis inspects his tomato plants. </caption4><photoCredit4>Pete G. Wilcox|Times Leader </photoCredit4></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_garden01.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A decorative sign welcomes visitors to the DeBellis garden in Forty Fort. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo5>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/web1_garden01.jpg</photo5><caption5>A decorative sign welcomes visitors to the DeBellis garden in Forty Fort. </caption5><photoCredit5>Pete G. Wilcox|Times Leader </photoCredit5></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT</p></shirttailMeta></div>

How does your garden grow: Forty Fort man creates a welcoming garden